Alumni Rewind: Crowned Miss Texas, Alumna Strives for Excellence

In a poignant moment flush with tense anticipation, two women stood face-to-face on the stage of the Miss Texas pageant holding hands. Chloe Burke, Miss North Texas, and Annette Addo-Yobo BS’20, Miss Southlake, both looked as though they weren’t breathing as they waited for the announcement. Then Burke’s name was called as the competition’s first runner-up and Addo-Yoba became Miss Texas.

“It was a mix of excitement and being overwhelmed because I didn’t think I would be here,” said Addo-Yobo, who was crowned June 29 at the 2024 Miss Texas pageant. “The realization of being Miss Texas didn’t hit me until two days later, because, in the moment, I actually don’t remember my crowning. It was just a surreal out-of-body experience.”

We met Addo-Yobo a year ago in Alumni Link when she was crowned Miss Dallas. Now we’re updating her story as she experienced the thrill of being named Miss Texas.

Addo-Yobo actually competed in back-to-back Miss Texas pageants, the first in 2023 after she was named Miss Dallas, and the second this year after winning the Miss Southlake pageant last September. She was recognized at this year’s pageant for being the first immigrant-born winner of the Miss Texas title. Born in the West African nation of Ghana, Addo-Yobo lived in Canada and the United States with her family before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2022.

“That’s a big deal for me because my whole life I’ve been reminded of the fact that I’m an immigrant,” Addo-Yobo said. “I’ve lived in the U.S. for over 15 years, and I’ve always struggled with where I fit in because I was never American enough, but then I was never Canadian enough, either.”

Addo-Yobo said it has been difficult to be an immigrant in the U.S. in the current political climate where people from other nations are often blamed for the country’s problems.

“I would hope that my reign showcases otherwise,” she said. “In a state like Texas, where 17 percent of the population is immigrants, it is important to me to highlight that and change the narrative to talk about how hard-working immigrants are and their contributions to the country’s economy.”

Since competing in the 2023 Miss Texas pageant with a platform focusing on mental health, Addo-Yobo said she did a rebrand for the Miss Southlake pageant by adopting the platform of autism awareness in honor of her brother, Andrew, who is autistic. She continued the platform for the 2024 Miss Texas pageant where her talent portion of the competition was a spoken word performance in which she talked about Andrew’s life, the difficulties caretakers face and the lack of understanding about the condition.

Addo-Yobo calls her platform the SPARK Project, which focuses on autism awareness, safety and education. She has spent much of her young life helping her brother adapt to a world that largely doesn’t understand autism. Misperceptions abound about the condition from the mistaken idea that it’s a mental disease to the belief that all people with autism are the same. She is excited to be given a stage as Miss Texas to share information and encourage laws and the creation of programs to support those with autism and their families.

Andrew is 23 years old. He lives in a facility for the developmentally disabled in Ghana where services for residents are less expensive than in the U.S. where Medicaid and many insurance plans won’t pay for needed therapies for the autistic.

Addo-Yobo wants to work with the Texas Legislature to enact laws that would require school districts to adopt safety plans for students with autism and encourage law enforcement agencies to train recruits how to recognize and work with autistic people they may encounter. Addo-Yobo recalls the time her brother, who is nonverbal, wandered away from his high school and was found nearby trying to cross a busy intersection.

“Working with legislatures can be hard because autism is not their priority,” Addo-Yobo said. “It’s just a lack of understanding that creates roadblocks to programs and legislation.”

That must change, Addo-Yobo said, because one in every 35 children is dealing with autism.

“That means in your typical school or college classroom at least one kid is on the spectrum,” she said. “In Texas, that’s 2 million children who are diagnosed every year.”

With the simple act of being crowned, Addo-Yobo’s life has become a whirlwind of activity and travel. The responsibilities of Miss Texas require pretty much a seven-day-a-week commitment, which has made it necessary for her to leave her job as the director of leadership programs for the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Miss Texas travels constantly from now until the Miss America pageant in January 2025, visiting other local pageants, community festivals, schools, sponsoring organizations and just about anyone else wanting to hear Addo-Yobo’s inspiring message about hope for people with autism as well as the power of education. She often tells people that the pursuit of her bachelor’s degree from UT Dallas and master’s from Sam Houston State University has fueled her desire for excellence. In fact, that pursuit continues as she nears completion of an MBA from Lamar University and her plans to attend law school.

Since the Miss Texas pageant, Addo-Yobo said she has been on full autopilot, and the pace will continue until the Miss America pageant this winter.

“I have basically six months to travel the state. It’s like Galveston one day and San Antonio the next day and then maybe on to Amarillo and back to Corpus Christi,” she said. “I have so many appearances coming up, and I’ll be in three different states. And at the same time, I have to prepare for Miss America. But I’m so excited to be Miss Texas and to be that inspiration for young girls to look up to who want to become the next Miss Texas.”

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